Getting the mags to work

Stevie · 01-05-2011, 08:49 PM

Was a beautiful afternoon..didn't have anything pressing at work..so I decided to shoot my pieced together Mauser Luger, and try some magazines I had accumulated.

I managed to get a couple of my coil spring eagle/63 mags working fine. Two others won't work..I suspect the springs are weak.

My expensive fxo mags came up working after jamming some..but they were bone dry..I lubed them up..worked the followers around...they came up working like a very pricy fxo mag should.

The Mecgars..these mags sort of disappoint me..but I got one working. I've tried these before..and they were a failure in my Lugers. One of these new mags I had installed a Wolff xtra power spring in..with some lube it came up running. The other new mag I guess needs an xtra power spring too.

Ammo I used was Remington/UMC bulk pack..and the proverbial Winchester/USA brand white box stuff.

With functional coilspring mags..either Mauser or mecgar..either ammo worked well in the Russian Mauser. The fxo mags didn't like the UMC stuff much..but were fine with the Winchester.

The UMC is noticably weaker than the Winchester ammo(I've had bad/weak batches of Winchester white box in the past though). With good working mags..sometimes failed to lock the Mauser back when empty..the Rem/UMC ammo was right on the ragged edge of not being powerful enough to run the gun.

Out of eight mags..two new..two extruded..rest eagle/63 sheet metal type looking like a Cromwell tank had run them over...I got five of them working well.

The two eagle/63 mags..and the one mecgar just ain't working. I really don't want to tweek the feedlips..I did tweek the openings a bit on the old clunkers...but I think the springs are spent on these..makes the mags too slow to feed the gun.

I'm thinking the Mecgar will work if I install a new Wolff spring in it..and I may order enough springs for the two cranky old mags as well.

Any advice on making crappy coilspring P08 mags work?

Thanks, Stevie.

Edward Tinker · 01-05-2011, 08:58 PM

Steve, no help here, as I have had some mags work well in one luger and poorly in another....

Stevie · 01-05-2011, 09:04 PM

I'm convinced fxo mags should cost $19..and be hanging on the racks at Wal Mart....

Hadn't noticed while blazing away with the Mauser 42 today..but cleaning revealed a failed extractor.

A miracle it still was working..and didn't launch the extractor. I had noted a single failure to extract about midway through my shooting..and chalked it up to dirty ammo..and ratty mags...

lfid · 01-06-2011, 12:33 AM

Steve,

lugerdoc has offered mag spring kits in past

GT the master magazine artist also offers complete mags and tuneups and the mags he has made for me work fine and look perfect

gunbroker has a magazine bazaar going now for some reason - many mags available
magazineorama

if shooting flawlessly is the goal , I suspect you could trade GT some of your collection for some GT shooter mags or sell them on gunbroker later on and then buy the custom magazines

Im not all that impressed with fxo mags , except for the one that I had with my 1916 artillery long ago , it was just perfect somehow

thanks for sharing your experiences
Bill

01-05-2011, 08:49 PM	#1
Stevie User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Ok. Posts: 212 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Getting the mags to work Was a beautiful afternoon..didn't have anything pressing at work..so I decided to shoot my pieced together Mauser Luger, and try some magazines I had accumulated. I managed to get a couple of my coil spring eagle/63 mags working fine. Two others won't work..I suspect the springs are weak. My expensive fxo mags came up working after jamming some..but they were bone dry..I lubed them up..worked the followers around...they came up working like a very pricy fxo mag should. The Mecgars..these mags sort of disappoint me..but I got one working. I've tried these before..and they were a failure in my Lugers. One of these new mags I had installed a Wolff xtra power spring in..with some lube it came up running. The other new mag I guess needs an xtra power spring too. Ammo I used was Remington/UMC bulk pack..and the proverbial Winchester/USA brand white box stuff. With functional coilspring mags..either Mauser or mecgar..either ammo worked well in the Russian Mauser. The fxo mags didn't like the UMC stuff much..but were fine with the Winchester. The UMC is noticably weaker than the Winchester ammo(I've had bad/weak batches of Winchester white box in the past though). With good working mags..sometimes failed to lock the Mauser back when empty..the Rem/UMC ammo was right on the ragged edge of not being powerful enough to run the gun. Out of eight mags..two new..two extruded..rest eagle/63 sheet metal type looking like a Cromwell tank had run them over...I got five of them working well. The two eagle/63 mags..and the one mecgar just ain't working. I really don't want to tweek the feedlips..I did tweek the openings a bit on the old clunkers...but I think the springs are spent on these..makes the mags too slow to feed the gun. I'm thinking the Mecgar will work if I install a new Wolff spring in it..and I may order enough springs for the two cranky old mags as well. Any advice on making crappy coilspring P08 mags work? Thanks, Stevie.

01-05-2011, 09:04 PM	#3
Stevie User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Ok. Posts: 212 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	I'm convinced fxo mags should cost $19..and be hanging on the racks at Wal Mart.... Hadn't noticed while blazing away with the Mauser 42 today..but cleaning revealed a failed extractor. A miracle it still was working..and didn't launch the extractor. I had noted a single failure to extract about midway through my shooting..and chalked it up to dirty ammo..and ratty mags... Last edited by Stevie; 01-06-2011 at 12:08 AM.

01-05-2011, 08:58 PM	#2
Edward Tinker Super Moderator Eternal Lifer LugerForum Patron Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: North of Spokane, WA Posts: 15,911 Thanks: 1,986 Thanked 4,502 Times in 2,077 Posts	Steve, no help here, as I have had some mags work well in one luger and poorly in another....

01-06-2011, 12:33 AM	#4
lfid Lifer Lifetime Forum Patron Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Wichita, KS USA Posts: 453 Thanks: 573 Thanked 96 Times in 53 Posts	Steve, lugerdoc has offered mag spring kits in past GT the master magazine artist also offers complete mags and tuneups and the mags he has made for me work fine and look perfect gunbroker has a magazine bazaar going now for some reason - many mags available magazineorama if shooting flawlessly is the goal , I suspect you could trade GT some of your collection for some GT shooter mags or sell them on gunbroker later on and then buy the custom magazines Im not all that impressed with fxo mags , except for the one that I had with my 1916 artillery long ago , it was just perfect somehow thanks for sharing your experiences Bill